


angelic interference

by Anonymous



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angel Claire Novak, Angel Dean Winchester, Castiel is Claire Novak's Parent, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Season/Series 02, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-12 11:35:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29384247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Angels don't intervene with the affairs of Earth, they just don't--unless the affairs on Earth are demons trying to open the gates of Hell. Unless the affairs of Earth are demons trying to open the gates of Hell, so that they can begin breaking seals and free Lucifer from his cage. Because when the affairs of Heaven are that Michael has gone missing, the Apocalypse cannot happen.So now angels are being sent to Earth to interfere--except for Castiel. No, Castiel has a special assignment--he must find Michael. And it's gotta be fast.
Relationships: Castiel & Claire Novak, Castiel/Dean Winchester
Comments: 9
Kudos: 17
Collections: Anonymous





	1. missing posters

**Author's Note:**

> this is a total AU & it's wildly self-indulgent. here's hoping that other people will like it too!
> 
> one establishing thing i wanna say, here--in this AU two angels (either partners or just 2 homies who want to make another angel either way) can create another angel by breaking off a bit of grace and fusing it together. the new angel will then consider the other two their parents. so some angels were created by god and some were created by other angels. there's probably some sort of generational gap/divide between these two types of angels but i'm not gonna get into all of that LOL. this fic is about season 2 of the cw's supernatural, not heaven politics.

Mostly, Cas is left to his own devices, so when he gets a summons, from Raphael, of all people, he’s rather surprised. 

He’s not the only angel who’s been summoned--Cas sees Uriel and Balthazar, along with Hester and Hael and Bartholomew, among others. Benjamin and Hannah are in the corner. Even Samandriel, for an unknown reason, is there. Cas doesn’t know why this combination of angels would be called, what they have to do with each other.

BROTHERS, Rapheal says, flaring his wings and standing tall before them. I HAVE SUMMONED YOU HERE TODAY BECAUSE THINGS ARE HAPPENING ON EARTH. 

THINGS ARE ALWAYS HAPPENING ON EARTH, Balthazar says. Raphael scowls at him.

THE DEMON AZAZEL IS ATTEMPTING TO OPEN THE GATES OF HELL, Raphael says. OFFICIALLY WE AREN’T SUPPOSED TO INTERFERE, BUT WITH MICHAEL MISSING…

Cas understands. If the gates are opened then the demons will attempt to start the apocalypse, and if the angels are down one major player--their only player--then the apocalypse cannot happen. 

WHAT DO YOU WANT US TO DO? Hannah asks. 

GO TO EARTH, Raphael says. FIND THE DEMON AZAZEL. STOP HIM. 

\--

CASTIEL, Raphael says. Castiel has relocated to a preferred corner of heaven, preparing to head down to Earth. He turns, sees that Raphael has followed him. 

YES?

I HAVE A DIFFERENT ASSIGNMENT FOR YOU, Raphael says. DO YOUR BEST TO STOP AZAZEL, YES, BUT MORE IMPORTANT--FIND MICHAEL. 

I THOUGHT WE GAVE UP ON LOOKING FOR HIM, Cas says. I THOUGHT IT WAS DECIDED THAT WE WOULDN’T BE ABLE TO FIND HIM IF HE DIDN’T WANT TO BE FOUND. 

YOU WERE ALWAYS CLOSE TO HIM, CASTIEL. IF ANYONE CAN FIND HIM, YOU CAN. AND IF WE FAIL, AND AZAZEL OPENS THE GATES OF HELL--WE NEED MICHAEL. 

MICHAEL WON’T LET LILITH DIE, Cas says. HE WON’T ALLOW THE CAGE TO OPEN.

DO NOT ARGUE WITH ME, CASTIEL. AND DO NOT RETURN TO HEAVEN WITHOUT MY BROTHER. 

And Raphael turns, and flies away. 

Cas sighs, shuffles his wings, and flies to the heaven of a pair of elderly lesbians. They like to sit on rocking chairs on their porch, holding hands and watching the sun set. Cas materalizes next to them and stays invisible to them, moving down the steps and towards the young angel who is watching the women watch the sunset. 

CLAIRE, Cas says. Claire’s grace brightens in surprise and then she turns to him. 

WHAT?

RAPHAEL ORDERED ME TO LEAVE HEAVEN, he says. HE WANTS ME TO FIND MICHAEL. 

OH, Claire says. 

I AM NOT TO RETURN WITHOUT HIM, Cas says. SO I SUSPECT I WILL BE GONE A WHILE. GOODBYE. 

WAIT--

But Cas has already left, pulling his vessel from where he has placed it, sliding into it and materializing on a beach in Brazil. Being on Earth is strange, always, but Cas likes it. He likes the feeling of gravity holding him down and the air on his face and even the feeling of being squished into a vessel. 

He reaches up his hand and pats his chest, under his tie. He can feel the pendant under his shirt, grace humming faintly beneath his fingers. Good.

Cas takes a deep breath. He isn’t really sure where to start--Azazel, probably. But other angels are also after the demon--perhaps Cas should figure out how Azazel plans to bypass the massive devil’s trap around the gate to Hell. The key to opening the gate is the Colt--Cas should probably look for that, as well. 

He opens his wings, preparing to fly, but then there’s a displacement of air, and a blonde teenager materializes in front of him. 

“Claire?” he asks. 

“Dad!” she says. “I can’t believe you tried to leave without me.”

“I...I didn’t think you would want to come,” Cas says. 

“Are you kidding? I would much rather be on Earth than in Heaven. And a buncha other angels left, too. Is Raphael sending out more search parties? Angel radio’s been weirdly quiet.”

“There’s a demon trying to open the gates of Hell,” Cas says. “Officially, I am also trying to stop him.”

“Oh, I see,” Claire says. “We have a secret mission.”

“I suppose,” Cas says. He reaches out to touch her shoulder. “Who are you wearing?”

Claire looks down at herself.

“Homeless girl,” she says. “Devout. She was happy to help me.  _ And  _ she looks enough like your vessel that we can pass for related.”

Cas smiles at her, fond. He is not going to object to spending time with her. And he likes the idea of having another angel on his side. “Okay,” he says. “Let’s go.”

\--

Dust curls up around Cas’s ankles as he walks up towards Harvelle’s Roadhouse. He and Claire have changed from their previous attire--trenchcoat over a suit and tie, cargo pants and hoodie--to jeans and flannel, jackets. Cas has a backpack with his previous outfit in it, and he hopes they look like regular hunters. 

Inside the Roadhouse there are a few people milling around, sitting at tables and talking amongst themselves. Cas doesn’t know for sure if they are hunters, but they’re wearing the flannel layers that usually indicate it. One man has a poorly tucked-away machete leaning against a table leg. 

Cas isn’t really sure what to do, but the bartender smiles and nods at them, inviting them up to sit at the bar. Cas does. Claire taps his backpack and he takes it off, putting it by his feet. 

“What’ll it be?” the bartender asks, wiping down a glass. Cas looks at the drink options.

“You got any soda?” Claire asks, and the bartender slides her a silver can. “Thanks.”

“I will just have water, thanks,” Cas says, giving up on deciding on an appropriate alcoholic beverage. The bartender provides, then leans on the counter interestedly. 

“Y’all new around here?” she asks. “Don’t think I’ve seen you before.”

“Yes,” Cas says. “We are...we are just passing through.”

“I see,” the bartender says. “Someone tell you about us?”

Cas doesn’t get it for a moment, then he realizes she is asking if another hunter told them to come here. He looks at Claire, unsure, and she shrugs. 

“Yeah,” she says. “Dean Winchester did.”

“Ahh,” the bartender says, relaxing a little. “Yeah, Dean’s a good boy. You close with him?”

“No,” Cas says. He drinks his water. It tastes like two parts hydrogen, one part oxygen. The bartender is looking at him like he’s insane. “We met once. In passing. During a job.”

“Okay, sure,” the bartender says. “Okay.” She looks between them. “Sorry, I’m Ellen Harvelle. I own the place. You are…?”

“I am Cas...Novak, and this is my daughter Claire,” Cas says, picking the last name of his vessel. Ellen looks over Claire, and then turns to Cas, her gaze piercing. 

“You let your kid go on jobs with you?” 

“Hey!” Claire says. “I can take care of myself.”

“I’m sure you can, sweetheart,” Ellen says. “But that doesn’t mean this job ain’t dangerous.”

“We are both aware,” Cas says. “Trust me, she is fully protected.”

Ellen grumbles, mutters, “I’m sure if Dean Winchester thought it was wrong, he woulda torn you a new one.” Cas doesn’t know what that means but he understands the sentiment. Ellen walks away to attend to a different customer, and Claire looks at him ruefully. 

“Maybe I should’ve tried for an older vessel,” she says.

“It’ll be okay,” Cas says. In an attempt to look human, he reaches out and pats her head. She looks at him with wide eyes, but she doesn’t know if that’s correct, either. 

Cas’s attention is grabbed by a woman a few feet from him, leaning up against the bar and talking to Ellen. The woman is holding her drink to her forehead, and her arm is bandaged. What catches Cas’s attention, though, is what she’d said. 

“There seem to be more of them, lately,” the woman says. “I swear before last month I only ran into one or two demons in my whole life, and I’ve seen four this week alone.”

“That’s concerning,” Ellen says. “I’ve heard similar reports--the demons seem to be gearing up for something big.”

“Wish I knew what,” the female hunter says. 

“Don’t we all, sister,” Ellen says, rolling her eyes and going to attend to someone else. Cas and Claire exchange a look. 

Angel radio is not usually private, but it can be--especially between bonded pairs, or between parent and child. 

THAT’S PROBABLY AZAZEL, Claire says, frowning. 

YES, Cas says. WE NEED TO FIND DEAN WINCHESTER RIGHT AWAY.


	2. search party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is shorter than the first one, i think, and chapter 3 isn't particularly long, either, but all that means is that you won't have to wait so long for updates. so yay!

Tucson, Arizona is dusty, dry, hot, and has a vampire problem. Angels do not feel heat, and they can clean their clothes with a thought, so only one of those things is problematic. 

Cas makes Claire purchase a pair of machetes while he stakes out the house nestled in the base of the mountains. Apparently the vampires will choose unsuspecting hikers as their victims, drag them here, eat them. There’s only two vampires, Cas thinks. 

Well. Stakeout done, he flies and checks on every motel in the city, then several bars, then he meets Claire at San Xavier, a mission a few miles south of Tucson. 

She’s standing on a hill beside the church, looking down at it, holding a machete in each hand. 

“It’s beautiful,” Cas says. 

“Yeah,” Claire says. “Here. Did you find them?” Cas takes the machete and looks at it. He doesn’t know much about machetes, but he thinks it’ll do.

“No,” he says. “I don’t think they’re in town.”

“Oh,” she says. 

“We’ll find them,” Cas says. “But America is big, and there’s many places they could be.”

“But first we’re killing vampires, right?” Claire asks, hefting her machete over her shoulder hopefully, and Cas nods. 

“Yes,” he says. “First we are killing vampires.”

\--

“Hey,” Claire says. “Look at this.”

They’re in a motel room in Enid, Oklahoma. Cas has been cleaning the blood off the machetes--manually, though he’s not sure why--and Claire has been clicking through the news on the TV, changing it to local stations all over the country. 

“What?” Cas says, emerging from the bathroom and drying his hands with a thought. Claire points at the TV. 

It is depicting a bank robbery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. For a moment, Cas is unsure what this has to do with anything, but then the camera zooms in on two men leaving the bank--a security guard, and behind him, with a rifle--Dean Winchester.

\--

By the time they get to Milwaukee, the police are clearing the bank and the Winchesters are nowhere to be found. 

Cas scours the place, invisible, but he finds nothing. 

“They escaped,” Claire says, dejected. 

“There were shapeshifters,” Cas informs her. “Perhaps the Dean Winchester we saw was not even Dean Winchester.”

“He was on camera, though, and his eyes were normal,” Claire points out, and oh, she’s right. Cas sighs. 

“Well, they were here. They drove away, so they’ll be around here somewhere. Check motels--I’ll check the road.”

“Got it,” Claire says, and she raises her wings and vanishes in a ruffle of feathers. Cas looks around again, puts his hand on the pendant under his shirt, and vanishes.

\--

“Castiel,” a voice says. Cas turns around. They’re in a motel parking lot. The angel in front of him is Inias. 

“Inias,” Cas says. 

“Raphael sent me,” Inias says. “How is your search?”

“The demons are amassing--hunters have noticed,” Cas says. 

“Not the search I meant,” Inias says, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh, _that_ search. I have had no luck,” Cas says. “I told Raphael--if Michael doesn’t want to be found, he won’t be.”

“Of course,” Inias says. “Raphael wanted to remind you that you are barred from heaven until you find Michael.”

“I know,” Cas says, weary. “I understand my orders.”

“Good,” Inias says. He lifts his wings and turns away. “One more thing, Castiel--your spawn cannot return to heaven either. Of course, maybe her presense will draw him out of hiding.”

And he is gone. 

\--

Cas and Claire are angels and don’t need a break, but they do get a motel room in Marion, Ohio, so they can check the news. Angel radio has been strangely quiet, and Cas wonders if they’ve been cut off. 

Claire stands in the middle of the room, blinking at the TV to change channels, and Cas goes outside, flies around other Ohio motels. He even flies back to the Roadhouse, staying invisible in a corner, listening for something about the Winchesters. 

Someone named Jo mentions them briefly over the phone with Ellen, but nothing about their current location. Otherwise, there is nothing to be said. Cas flies back to Marion.

“Did you find anything?” he asks. 

“Nothing that seems like a case,” Claire says. “I don’t know; perhaps they went in the opposite direction. Are you certain there’s not a home base?”

“I don’t think so,” Cas says. “I don’t know. We’ll find them.”

“How can finding two humans be this difficult?” Claire grumbles. She blinks at the TV again and changes it to the local news of Clay County, West Virginia. 

Cas goes outside the motel. It’s night, and it looks like it may rain. Cas likes rain. He tilts his head up to face the sky, closes his eyes. 

Perhaps he and Claire should refocus their attentions to the demon Azazel. If they dedicate their attention to finding the Colt--probably much easier than finding two humans who are on the move, trying not to be found--then Azazel cannot make a move without it. 

A rumble of a car’s engine sounds, and Cas lowers his head to look. A black car--an older car--is driving up to the motel. It parks, and a tall man gets out of the passenger seat, goes inside the front office. Another man gets out of the driver’s seat, heads towards the trunk. The man is in shadows, but Cas recognizes the shape of him, anyway, and he steps into the light. 

The man’s head moves at Cas’s movement; even from here Cas knows when their eyes meet. 

“Cas,” Dean Winchester breathes, voice loud across the empty parking lot, and Cas takes a step forward. 

Sam Winchester comes out of the front office, holds up a key. 

“Got it,” he says, and then he turns to look at Cas, then to Dean. “Dean?”

Dean shakes himself. 

“Good,” he says. “Hey, Cas, come over here.”

Cas crosses the parking lot, comes to stand beside the car. He tilts his head curiously. 

“Sammy,” Dean says. “This is Cas. He’s a hunter.”

“Yes,” Cas says. He turns to Sam. “Nice to meet you, Sam Winchester. I have heard of you.”

“Sure,” Sam says, eyeing him. “When did you guys meet?”

“While you were at Stanford, dumbass,” Dean says. “Worked a haunting together.”

“Yes, a vengeful spirit,” Cas says. He turns to Dean. “I need to talk to you.”

“How did you know we were here?” Sam interrupts. 

“I didn’t,” Cas says, looking back at Sam. “I had just decided to _stop_ looking for you when you arrived.”

“Why were you looking for us?” Sam asks, eyes narrow. 

“Jesus, Sammy, he just said he needed to talk to me. Calm down.”

“Dean, can I talk to you?” Sam asks, and he marches over to Dean and grabs him, pulls him away. “Dean, this guy is creepy as hell. I don’t think he blinks.”

“Come on, dude, he’s a good guy,” Dean says. They’re both whispering. Cas can still hear them perfectly. “He probably just has one question, and then he’ll be gone.”

“Ugh,” Sam says. “Fine, whatever. You’re sure?”

“Yes,” Dean says, exasperated. He turns around. “Cas, you can ask your question in front of Sam, right?”

“Of course,” Cas says. 

“Great,” Dean says. “Then we’ll talk in the morning. You have a room?”

“Yes,” Cas says. They stare at each other. “Oh. It’s that one.” He points at his door. 

“Cool,” Dean says. “We’ll swing by in the morning. Night, Cas.”

“Goodnight,” Cas says, and he watches them grab their bags and go to their room, Sam turning around once to cast an uneasy look at Cas. 

Cas blinks at him. 


	3. Reunited

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is pretty short, but chapter four is long so um, yay? i rlly like this chapter though :)

Their motel room in Marion, Ohio has two beds, because there are two of them. Cas sits on one, and Claire sits on the other. The TV is off. The lights are off. 

Cas counts the minutes. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven.

Thirty-six minutes pass before there’s a knock at the door. Cas stands up, opens it. It is, of course, Dean, and Cas lets him in, closes the door behind him. 

“Cas,” Dean says, and he throws his arms around him. Cas returns the hug, holding him tight, tucking his face against Dean’s neck. They stay like that for a long while, before Dean pulls away. “Hi,” he says, grinning. 

“Hello, Dean,” Cas says, and Dean’s grin gets wider. 

“Hi,” Claire says, pointedly, and Dean startles before turning his head. He looks her up and down, and Cas remembers that Claire is in a new vessel. 

“Claire,” Cas says, and she stands up from her bed and walks over to them. 

“Claire?” Dean says, and she nods. Dean untantles himself from Cas and scoops her into a hug as well, holds her tight. She puts her arms around him tentatively, unfamiliar with the human action but clearly wanting to reciprocate. “Hi, baby.”

“I missed you,” she says, her grace trembling. 

“I missed you, too,” Dean says. “I like your vessel, it suits you.” He releases her and toes off his shoes, sits on Cas’s bed. He pats the space beside him and Cas sits. Claire returns to her spot on her own bed. “Okay, what’s going on?”

“Azazel wants to open the gates of Hell,” Cas says. “We aren’t sure how, yet. He’d need a human.”

“I knew he was up to  _ something, _ ” Dean mumbles. “What else?”

“I was assigned to look for Michael,” Cas says. “Apparently there is concern that the demons will succeed and begin breaking seals.”

“That’s  _ not  _ happening,” Dean says, scowling. “What are you going to do?”

“We were banned from heaven until we find Michael,” Claire says. “So I guess we’ll stick around.”

“Good,” Dean says, reaching out a hand to squeeze Cas’s. “We’ll have to think of an excuse for Sammy, but you’ll come with us, obviously.”

“Really?” Cas says. “I know you value time with your brother.”

“I also value time with  _ you _ , dumbass,” Dean says fondly.

“I’m excited to meet Sam Winchester,” Claire says. Dean laughs.

“I’m sure you’ll get along,” he says. 

“Did you sneak out, or did you tell him you were going somewhere?” Cas asks. 

“Said I was gonna hit up the bars,” Dean says. “He won’t expect me back until late...or morning.”

“Good,” Cas says, meeting Dean’s eyes. 

“Claire, get outta here,” Dean says without looking away.

“Ugh,” Claire says. “Humans and their  _ urges.”  _ And then, in a flutter of wings, she is gone. Cas reaches his hand out to touch Dean’s jaw, and brings their mouths together, tasting him.

He tastes the same as the last time Cas had gone to Earth--two years ago, while Sam was away. They  _ had  _ hunted a vengeful spirit in a haunted library together, so it wasn’t a lie. 

Cas shifts, turning, pushing Dean into the bed. The necklace under his shirt grows warm, and Dean puts his hand on Cas’s chest, pressing it into him. He buries his other hand in Cas’s hair and drags him down, keeping them locked together. 

Cas lets Dean take off his jacket and his flannel and his t-shirt, and Dean lets Cas take off his layers of the same thing, and for a while they stay like that, the necklace glowing between them, pressed against their chests, as they trade kisses. Not urgent, but not slow, either, just together, feeling each other. 

Cas wishes--angels can’t  _ feel,  _ the same way humans do. Their sense of touch is almost nonexistent. Heat and cold are nothing to an angel. Pain is nothing. Pleasure--

Cas pulls his grace tight inside himself. The necklace glows between them, a tiny source of its own heat, and Cas can feel it. He can.

\--

Angels do not sleep, but humans do, so after Cas has cleaned them up with a flick of his grace, Dean pulls on his boxers and his t-shirt, settles against Cas’s bare chest. Cas blinks and he is partially dressed, back in his underwear and jeans, and Dean falls asleep against him. Cas stares at the ceiling, sends Claire a message over angel radio that she can come back. 

She does, and she settles on her bed and turns on the TV, volume low. She flicks around in the channels until she finds something that keeps her entertainment, and Cas pulls the blanket over Dean and himself. Dean sighs in his sleep, and Cas holds him tighter. 

\--

“Good morning, Sammy!” Dean sings, pushing open the motel room door, and leaving it wide open for Cas and Claire to follow him in. Sam looks up from the little table where he’s seated with his computer, glaring. Cas notes that one bed is made less elegantly than the other--the bed Sam would’ve slept in. “Damn, I was hoping you’d still be asleep.”

“Nope,” Sam says. “I think I might’ve caught wind of a case in Rhode Island.”

“Nice,” Dean says, and he moves to the side, flopping onto the un-slept in bed. Cas clears his throat and holds out the tray of coffees. 

“I have coffee,” he says. 

“ _ And _ Cas has coffee,” Dean says. Dean bought the coffee, but he said Sam would appreciate it if it was from Cas. Cas hands them out, one for everyone. 

“Who’s that?” Sam asks, tilting his head towards Claire. She holds out her hand to shake. 

“Claire Novak,” she says. 

“My daughter,” Cas adds. 

“Your daughter,” Sam says flatly. “Do you hunt with her?”

“Yes,” Cas says. Sam looks like he might yell.

“Sam, calm down,” Dean says. “Cas, Claire, sit. What did you need to ask us about?”

“The demon Azazel is trying to open a gate of Hell,” Cas says. “Obviously, that would not be ideal, and he needs to be stopped.”

“How do you know that?” Sam asks, wide-eyed. 

“I have my sources,” Cas says. 

“But the Colt is the key to opening the gate, right?” Claire asks. Cas nods. “So if we find that and keep it away from him, he can’t unlock the doors. Do you--have you heard of it?”

“Heard of it?” Dean snorts. “We  _ had  _ it.”

“You did?” Cas asks eagerly. “Where is it?”

“Our dad traded it,” Sam says. “For Dean’s life.”

“To demons,” Dean adds helpfully. 

“Oh,” Cas says. “That does not bode well.”

“No, it doesn’t,” Sam says. “So the Colt can open the gates to Hell?”

“Yes, but the gate is surrounded by a large and impenetrable devil’s trap,” Cas says. “It is made of railroads.”

“Huh,” Dean says. Nobody else seems to know what to say, either. Dean clears his throat. “Sammy, you found a case?”

“Oh, yeah, I think so,” Sam says, looking back at his computer. “Get this--a woman in Rhode Island killed a man she didn’t even know, then turned herself in, claiming an angel asked her to kill him.”

“An angel?” Dean asks, and Cas and Claire exchange a look. Dean looks up, meets Cas’s eye, then he crosses his arms. “Angels don’t exist.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> time to start getting into the section of the fic called Episodes of Season Two But Cas And Claire (who is an angel) Are There!! hope y'all are excited!

**Author's Note:**

> thank you so much for reading, hope y'all enjoyed! 
> 
> you can find me @deanspurpleflannel on tumblr dot com if you have any questions or just wanna chat!
> 
> (also--comments fuel updates! tentatively i'm marking it as 12 chapters but the number might change--my outline is pretty loose & who knows what could develop as the story progresses)


End file.
